Celebrate food, life and diversity. Join me in the search for the right ingredients: Food without human antibiotics, growth hormones and other harmful additives that have become commonplace in animals raised on factory farms.

Attention food shoppers

We are legions -- legions who are sorely neglected by the media, which prefer glorifying chefs. I love restaurants as much as anyone else, but feel that most are unresponsive to customers who want to know how the food they are eating was grown or raised.I hope my blog will be a valuable resource for helping you find the healthiest food in supermarkets, specialty stores and restaurants in northern New Jersey. In the past five years, I stopped eating meat, poultry, bread and pizza, and now focus on a heart-healthy diet of seafood, vegetables, fruit, whole-wheat pasta and brown rice. I'm happiest when I am eating. -- VICTOR E. SASSON

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Hackensack warehouse to reopen soon as Costco Business Center

The Costco Wholesale warehouse on South River Street in Hackensack closed in mid-October, but now is preparing to reopen.

By VICTOR E. SASSONEDITORThe parking lot at the old Costco warehouse in Hackensack is filling up again.But this time, the cars belong to construction workers and other preparing to reopen the warehouse as a Costco Business Center on March 15.The warehouse closed in mid-October after 21 years, and a bigger Costco Wholesale opened in a shopping center off of Route 46 in Teterboro.The Business Center in Hackensack will be only the second on the East Coast to serve small businesses, and will offer both cash-and-carry and delivery. The first is in Georgia.Hours will be 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, until 4 p.m. on Saturdays and closed on Sundays, according to Costco.com. The warehouse also will have a food court, according to the Web site.When the Hackensack Costco reopens, members won't find any apparel, jewelry, sporting goods, CDs, toys or seasonal merchandise, and no pharmacy, optical department, bakery or tire shop.But Costco plans to serve restaurants and caterers, so there should be plenty of food to interest members who don't own a small business.A Costco Business Center fact sheet lists "fresh and frozen meats, produce and other food products."Costco Business Center, 80 S. River St., Hackensack; 201-296-3044. Opens March 15.

Two Kirkland Signature Organic Large Grade AA Eggs from Costco Wholesale, poached in Victoria-brand Vodka Sauce. Now, Costco sells two dozen of the free-range eggs at a time for $6.99. It isn't known whether food will be sold in the same size packages as now when the Hackensack warehouse reopens as a Business Center catering to restaurants and other small businesses.